When the rain falls

I liked today's Opus Dei message -- and thought it might apply a bit to this ongoing Real Learning thread on avoiding burnout.

You don't feel like doing anything and there is nothing you look forward to. It is like a dark cloud. Showers of sadness fell, and you experienced a strong sensation of being hemmed in. And, to crown it all, a despondency set in, which grew out of a more or less objective fact: you have been struggling for so many years ... , and you are still so far behind, so far. All this is necessary, and God has things in hand. In order to attain gaudium cum pace -- true peace and joy, we have to add to the conviction of our divine filiation, which fills us with optimism, the acknowledgment of our own personal weakness. (Furrow, 78)

Also, this nice thread on Seasonal Learning is a spin-off -- I'm marking them since I may need to reread them sometime!